Hextreme Measures (A Supernatural Speakeasy Cozy Mystery #21)

Prologue

“Ofelia.”

His nine-year-old daughter preferred spending time at Krewe rather than going to teas and hanging around with the kids of her mother’s friends.

Ofelia called the other children in Marie’s social circle “terminally boring,” and Oscar understood what she was saying.

He wished she would at least make an attempt at hanging out with the kids — if only to get Marie off his back — but Ofelia was a unique soul.

In other words, she didn’t do things she didn’t want to do.

Marie had been furious when Oscar couldn’t find Ofelia. She was furious most of the time these days. Oscar didn’t point it out — that only made things worse — but he was starting to feel the pressure of his wife’s constant irritation.

He loved his family. He loved his wife and children.

Things frayed at the edges of his mind more often than not these days, however.

Marie’s constant nitpicking wasn’t helping matters.

That’s why he worked extra hours at the bar whenever he could.

As the owner, he should have been easing up on his hours now that the bar was firmly established.

That wasn’t him. He liked hanging out with the patrons.

He enjoyed not having to interact with his wife, who only talked about things he didn’t understand.

Most importantly, he enjoyed hanging out with Ofelia.

She loved the bar. Sure, it was illegal for her to be hanging out behind the bar, but he didn’t worry about it too much.

He knew most of the police officers in the area, and at most they would tell him to get her out of there. Oscar always obliged … until next time.

Since Ofelia always charmed the responding police officer, who was called by well-meaning patrons who assumed he was a terrible father, it never went anywhere.

Oscar cleared his throat as he walked into the storage room.

He knew exactly where he would find his daughter.

Sure enough, when he rounded one of the shelves, he caught sight of her.

She was in the big purple beanbag he’d bought her, and she looked to be flipping through a magazine rather than a book this evening.

“Your mother is a bit annoyed,” he said as he regarded her. She was at that age where she was all gangly legs and arms. She was going to grow up to be a beauty despite her current awkward phase. He could already tell. “You’re safe, though. She’s left for her tea.”

Ofelia flicked up her eyes, and Oscar could practically hear the gears in her mind working overtime. “Huh,” she said finally. “I didn’t even know she was here.”

Oscar smirked as he nudged her over so he could sit next to her. “At least tell me you’re reading a classic.”

She held up a book he wasn’t familiar with — she’d had it tucked in at her side — and his brow furrowed as he read the title. “The Time Traveler’s Wife.” He cocked his head. “Is this a naughty book? You didn’t get this from your mother’s nightstand, did you?”

Ofelia snorted, then caught herself. “No. I got it at the library.”

Oscar scratched his cheek. He wasn’t an expert, but the book looked as if it should be well above Ofelia’s reading level. “This is an adult book.”

“So?”

“So … shouldn’t you be getting your books in the children’s section? Isn’t there a new Harry Potter out?”

She snorted again. “I already read that. I get bored with children’s books. Before you ask, I read all of the Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden books. They were kind of weird and old.”

“I believe you mean dated,” he corrected. “They were written in a time when things were simpler.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.” He blew out a sigh. “What is the book about?”

“It’s about a man who travels through time and meets his wife at various points in her life.”

“And you’re sure it’s not a naughty book?”

Ofelia rolled her eyes. “I only just started it. I don’t know if it’s naughty. You don’t have to worry about that, though, because I skip over those parts.”

Oscar had no idea why he was so relieved about that. “Okay, well, just don’t tell your mother I okayed that book if there’s naughty stuff in it.”

She snorted, then went back to flipping through the magazine. Oscar recognized it as one of the ones tweens and teenagers purchased to drool over young Hollywood stars.

“I’m pretty sure your mother said you couldn’t have those magazines because they were tacky,” he noted after a beat.

“That’s why I have it here.”

He had to bite back a laugh. Sometimes, Ofelia was blunt to the point of being stupid. “You should probably refrain from telling your mother that, too.”

“Okay.” Ofelia smiled.

Because he couldn’t help himself, Oscar snagged the magazine to look at it.

“Who is this guy?” He pointed at the man on the cover.

“You don’t want him to be your future husband, do you?

” He was joking, of course. Suddenly, the idea of Ofelia getting married made his stomach constrict.

She was still a child, but she wouldn’t always be.

There would come a day when she wouldn’t curl up in a corner in the storage room to read her books. She would be doing other things.

She would be spending her time with other people.

“That’s Chad Michael Murray.”

“Do you like him?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“You don’t want to marry him?” he teased.

“No way.” Ofelia was surprisingly vehement when she shook her head. “I already know who I’m going to marry, and it’s not him.”

“Oh, yeah?” Oscar got comfortable on the bean bag. “Who are you going to marry? What’s his name? I’m going to beat him up.”

“No, you’re not.” She shook her head. “Besides, I don’t know exactly who I’m going to marry. I just know the type of person I’m going to marry.”

“Someone just like your dad?”

“Sort of,” Ofelia replied. She didn’t elaborate, and Oscar knew what she was leaving out. She wanted somebody who didn’t fly off the handle or have downward mental spirals that sometimes lasted for weeks. She wanted somebody she didn’t have to walk on eggshells around.

He didn’t take it personally. He wanted those things for her, too. “Tell me about him,” he instructed.

Ofelia smiled, seemingly happy with the request. “Well, he’ll be nice, but not so nice that he’s afraid to keep Felix in line.”

Felix was her brother, and as with all older brothers, he irritated his sister better than anybody.

“It’s important to keep Felix in line,” Oscar conceded. “Very important.”

“Yeah.” Ofelia smiled.

“What color will his hair be?”

“That doesn’t matter, but probably black.”

“What color will his eyes be?”

“I don’t know that either. I just know that he will be brave. He’ll be a hero. We’re going to solve mysteries together and keep the Quarter safe.”

“Oh, yeah?” Oscar was amused despite himself. He’d assumed that Ofelia had outgrown her superhero phase years before. “Will you wear capes?”

“No, silly.” She rolled her eyes, and Oscar recognized he was going to have his hands full with teenage Ofelia in a few years. “We’re going to fight monsters, like zombies and bad witches. We’re not fighting the Joker or some comic book guy.”

Oscar was caught off guard. He knew Ofelia was different on that front, too.

She was … special. He had a sneaking suspicion she had magic that she didn’t want to tell her parents about.

She’d been careful to keep it to herself — something that was very wise considering Marie’s opinion of magic — but it was obvious she’d started to experiment.

Well, if the little swirls of light he occasionally saw darting through the house meant anything.

For a moment, Oscar considered asking her about the magic. He stopped himself, though. If he knew, he might use it against her when he got caught up in a rant. Then he would expose her to her mother and brother.

The thing Oscar wanted most was to be a good father. When he was present, he liked to think he was. He was present most of the time. There were stretches where his demons were getting the better of him, however, and those stretches were becoming more frequent.

He would not hurt his daughter on purpose. That meant he wouldn’t ask.

“Well, I can’t wait to meet him,” Oscar said instead.

“No way.” Ofelia snorted and shook her head. “You don’t want to meet him. You’re going to be mean to him.”

He didn’t deny it. “It’s a father’s prerogative to be mean to his daughter’s boyfriend.”

“Husband,” Ofelia corrected.

“Whatever.” He made a face. “I’m going to be mean to him. That’s how it works.”

“Why would you be mean to him?” Ofelia looked appalled.

“I just told you, because that’s how it works. I have to be mean to him to test him, to see if he’s good enough for you.”

“What if he’s not?”

“Oh, Fe, nobody ever will be good enough for you.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and anchored her to his side. “I already know that. I just hope that the guy you settle on is 50 percent worthy.”

She giggled. “He’s going to be 100 percent worthy. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Smart move.” He kissed the top of her head, then pointed toward the magazine. “Show me what he’s going to look like.”

“Don’t you have to get back to work?”

“Not right away. I have some time for you.”

“Okay.” Ofelia opened the magazine. “This is Keanu Reeves. He’s not the best actor, but he’s totally hot.”

“I don’t think you should settle for anything less than the total package.”

“Good point.”

“I’m glad you agree.”